Vérité
by End of story goodbye the end
Summary: " I think the truth is the most important thing in the world. Everyone needs to know the truth. It's infallible. When everything else is false, the truth is the only thing that can't be wrong. It's the only thing that can't be changed." Follows Fleur from Goblet of Fire up to Deathly Hallows. Fleur might be a little OCC, but that just happens with minor characters.
1. Prologue

I was sitting on a cliff, my favorite place to sit. It was probably dangerous, and in retrospect I really shouldn't be sitting there with my feet hanging off the edge, but what can I say? I'm a rebel.

Ok, I'll introduce myself. I'm Fleur Delacour, and this is my story. It might be a little crazy, and probably weird, and maybe just a little scary, but that's just my life in three words. But in all seriousness, there should be a warning around this cliff. It's right around a huge school! The Palace of Beauxbatons sits on a huge cliff that cannot be reached by anything but flying horses. It is definitely the most beautiful place in the world. Large fields surround the building, which is made mostly out of gorgeous white and gray marble. We have a pristine lake behind the Palace, and a small Quidditch Pitch to the left for kids who want to make teams. Personally, I don't see the appeal of sports. All you do is run around (or in this case fly around) and get all sweaty. Sweat is gross. It should not be a fact of life. It should just die alone.

One thing you should know about me, is that I'm very open with my opinions. Or as one of my best friends Terese calls it, mot vomi. That's french for word vomit. I just say whatever's on my mind at the time. I don't think, I just spit it out. Terese says it makes me sound rude. But opinions can change, can't they? I think so. So then saying what's on my mind shouldn't bother people so much, it's just my opinion. I've told people this. Most of them just laugh. Terese says they are just jealous because I'm beautiful, and that makes sense because I am. I'm not going to hide it, the truth deserves to be known. I think the truth is the most important thing in the world. Everyone needs to know the truth. It's infallible. When everything else is lies, the truth is the only thing that can't be wrong. It's the only thing that can't be changed.

However, it can be twisted, and used to ones advantage. As important as the truth can be, it can also be very dangerous.

And I've got some secrets, just begging to be revealed.

So I'm going to find out a truth so important it's probably going to blow some minds.

I'm going to find out the truth about me.

**Hey Harry Potter fans! If your going to be reading this, PAY ATTENTION! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! **

**Ok, here we go. Fleurs character is how I think she might act. I'm not J.K. I'm a random little girl named Melissa who loves Harry Potter with her entire being. So Fleur may be a little OCC, but I'm stalking her wiki page and doing my best to stay canon. Also, the French. I'm not French, I'm American. My heritage isn't even remotely French. I'm Irish actually. (Don't ask me if I have red hair. I'm blonde, I have a streak of red hair. Like, dyed. Not a red head. I promise.) So I'm going to be using a lot of Google Translate. But if you guys don't know French, how should I put in my translations? Do you guys want to translate them yourselves as you read, or do you want me to put them in there in italics or parenthesis? Or should I put translations at the end of the chapter? Please tell me! It's very important! **

**Thank you, I'm extremely excited for this, please review. **

**-Melissa **


	2. Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

**Ok guys, I know no one reviewed, and I'm ok with that. Prologues don't always interest people, I get it. So I'm not disheartened, it just complicates my translations. So I went ahead and asked my mother what she thought was easier. Well, I actually haven't done it yet, I'm just lazing around listening to 1D, for some odd reason. They are kind of sometimes good, but I don't creepily obsess over them. Promise. So, I'll just go ask my mom. Hehe, just kidding, I'm too lazy. For now, I'm going to put the lovely translations in italics next to the French, and at the end of the chapter. Ok? If it's not ok, please let me know. This is for you to read, and I want to know what's easiest to read. I'll take everything into consideration. **

**Enjoy my readers! **

"Fleur! Oh mon, where 'ave you been? We 'ave been looking everywhere!"

I pulled myself from my thoughts to look at my two best friends sprinting toward me.

Susanne, who had yelled, reached me first because of her superior height over Terese, who was still stumbling ungracefully over rocks to get to me. "Fleur," Susanne breathed, her blue robes swirling around her as she sat down next to me.

"Susanne," I shot back, swinging my feet back and forth over the edge.

Susanne shot a nervous glance at the ground beneath the cliff, or where it presumably was, because clouds covered our sight of the ground below. "How can you stand the hauteur?" she muttered fearfully as Terese caught up.

Terese, panting, fell on her back beside me. I wrinkled my nose at how unladylike she acted, while Susanne winced, obviously worrying about the clumsy girl being near the edge.

"Terese, faire attention!" she warned, tucking her curly blonde hair behind her ear.

"She is fine." I snorted, turning back to the edge, uninterested.

"Fleur!" Terese finally exclaimed breathlessly.

"What?" I asked, picking at my impeccable pale blue painted nails.

"We came... To tell you... It's dinner time." she gasped, chest heaving.

"Alright." I pulled myself up gracefully, my perfect silvery blonde hair swinging as I started to walk away. "Zan let us go."

Terese groaned and got to her feet painfully, flicking her such-a-dark-brown-it-was-almost-black curls out of her face, and followed me at a trot. The shorter girl had to take two strides for every one of mine. A fretting Susanne soon caught up, muttering at how late we were going to be. I rolled my eyes. I was never late. Terese, however, was always late. _'Not this time,'_ I thought as we reached the Palace and headed up the marble steps and through the large glass doors. We rushed past the statues of beautiful witches and wizards in flowing robes to get to the Dining Hall. Terese stumbled through the glass doors last, following Susanna and I. The _fête_ had already started, and my eight year old little sister Gabrielle beckoned us over to where she was sitting at the very end of one of the two tables in the hall. We slipped into the silver chairs at the end, me next to my sister and Susanna on my other side, Terese still trailing behind.

"Fleur! Où avez-vous été?" _(Where have you been?) _Gabrielle hissed, leaning forward to face me.

"Hey, zat is exactly what Susanna said!" Terese commented, pulling the bouillabaisse toward her.

Gabrielle gave her a very dry look that looked like it came from someone so much older. "J'étais dehors, pourquoi?" _(I was out, why?)_ I asked, stealing the bouillabaisse from Terese.

"Vous avez raté presque Madame Maxime!" _(You almost missed Madame Maxime!)_ Gabrielle raged, waving her arms at the front of the hall.

"Ne pas agiter vos bras, c'est inélégant." _(Do not shake your arms, it is inelegant.) _I told her, shoveling bouillabaisse on my plate.

She rolled her eyes before standing up abruptly, pulling her best friend Zoe up next to her. I rose gracefully as well, realizing that Madame Maxime must have arrived.

Madame Maxime strode through the two tables to the large throne like chair made of clear glass that looked like ice in the front of the hall. As soon as she sat, we sat.

Dinner went on pretty normally, with Susanne fretting about our upcoming examens finaux and Terese chatted with Gabrielle's friend Zoe, who also happened to be Terese's little sister. I was just about to ask Terese to pass more bouillabaisse, which was my favorite food, when Madame Maxime stood up. Immediately, we all fell silent. No one spoke. She walked forward from behind her table, her ivory dress brushing the ground, and adjusted her opal necklace.

"Bonsoir, mes chers élèves." _(Good evening, my dear students.)_ she began in her rumbling voice. Everyone here spoke French. My friends and I liked English, because we could keep our conversations private and improve at speaking it. Terese and Zoe's parents had an estate in England, so she was the most advanced in English, and also the one who taught us what we knew.

"Bonsoir, madame." we all chorused back.

"Je suis sûr que vous avez tous entendu parler de l' Triwizard Tournament." _(I'm sure you've all heard of the Triwizard Tournament_.) she said, her voice carrying around the whole hall.

Some gasps rang around the hall. Mostly everyone had heard of it. It was legendary. Madame Maxime began to explain it for the benefit of those less educated, but most tuned her out and started to talk amongst themselves, us included.

"I am going to try to compete." Terese said immediately, pushing her dark hair out of her eyes and using English to keep our conversation private. Gabrielle's eyes narrowed in concentration as she prepared to attempt to follow the conversation with her limited English.

"I will as well." I added, picturing what I might have to face.

"Are you all...?" Susanne started out angry, but her point was lost as she wasn't sure of the English word to express her feelings.

"Beautiful?" I suggested.

"Insane?" Terese threw in.

"Zat one!" Susanne pointed at Terese. "You could be killed!"

"Aw, lighten up, Susanne." Terese said calmly, turning back to her food.

"Lighten... Up?" Susanne asked. I personally didn't understand the phrase either, but I turned my attention back to the front as Madame Maxime had finished explaining the Tournament.

"Le tournoi aura lieu à 'Ogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry à England." she said. "Seuls les seize ci-dessus peut rivaliser. Toute personne qui souhaite participer peut venir à 'Ogwarts." _(The tournament will take place at 'Ogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England. Only sixteen and above can compete. Anyone wishing to participate can come to 'Ogwarts. )_

I looked at Gabrielle, who looked devastated. I knew she had no interest in competing, but she knew I wanted to and that I would go to England. I patted her arm. She smiled weakly at me.

"Toute jeune étudiant qui a un frère plus âgé qui veut concurrencer peut nous accompagner en tant que classes continueront à 'Ogwarts_._"_ (Any young student who has an older sibling who wants to compete can accompany us as classes will continue at 'Ogwarts.)_ Madame Maxime continued. Gabrielle's face brightened and she hugged me happily. I grinned. My sister was like my best friend. We were extremely close.

Madame Maxime dismissed us after a few comments about how hard the Tournament was and we headed for the girls room.

In Beauxbatons, there are only two _dortoirs_. A girls, and a boys. We, naturally, lived in the girls. There were a whole bunch of rooms, and you could pick the one you lived in. Once a bed was claimed, no one else could claim it unless the claimer gave it up or had graduated. I shared a room with Susanne, Terese, Zoe, and Gabrielle.

When we reached our room, Gabrielle threw herself on my bed. I glared at her for a second, before rolling my eyes, sighing, and just turned away from her.

"Gabrielle, puis-je avoir mon lit arrière s'il vous plaît?" _(Gabrielle can I have my bed back please?)_ I asked calmly, as the others started getting ready for bed.

Gabrielle sighed and heaved herself off my bed and fell immediately on her own. I chuckled, and headed for my Wardrobe to find my own _chemise de nuit_.

When I turned to get in my own bed, Gabrielle was curled into a ball. I reached over to tug her blankets around her, and she snuggled tighter into the covers. I smiled slightly, before climbing into my own bed, pulling my own sheets around me.

Oh mon, where 'ave you been?:

Oh my, where 'ave you been?

How can you stand the hauteur?: How can you stand the height?

Terese, faire attention!:

Terese, pay attention!

Où avez-vous été?:

Where have you been?

J'étais dehors, pourquoi?:

I was out, why?

Vous avez raté presque Madame Maxime!:

You almost missed Madame Maxime!

Ne pas agiter vos bras, c'est inélégant.:

Do not shake your arms, it is inelegant.

Bonsoir, mes chers élèves.:

Good evening, my dear students.

Bonsoir, madame.:

Good evening, ma'am.

Je suis sûr que vous avez tous entendu parler de l' Triwizard Tournament.:

I'm sure you've all heard of the Triwizard Tournament.

Le tournoi aura lieu à 'Ogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry à England. Seuls les seize ci-dessus peut rivaliser. Toute personne qui souhaite participer peut venir à 'Ogwarts.:

The tournament will take place at 'Ogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in England. Only sixteen and above can compete. Anyone wishing to participate can come to 'Ogwarts.

Tout jeune étudiant qui a un frère plus âgé qui veut concurrencer peut nous accompagner en tant que classes continueront à 'Ogwarts.:

Any young student who has an older sibling who wants to compete can accompany us as classes will continue at 'Ogwarts.

Gabrielle, puis-je avoir mon lit arrière s'il vous plaît?:

Gabrielle can I have my bed back please?

_chemise de nuit_.

Night gown.

-Melissa


	3. Armoire de Velane

"Terese! Réveillez-vous!"

I started awake to the lovely sound of Susanne yelling at Terese to wake up, as I did every morning.

"Shut up! Not everyone has to get up in the morning!" Zoe yelled in her perfect English. She lived in the English estate long enough to be fluent in the language. I assumed she yelled in English either out of habit, or to keep Susanne from seriously realizing what she said.

"C'est faux, ce matin, ma chère Zoé. Si vous ne voulez pas manquer la voiture, ce qui est." _(That is wrong, this morning , my dear Zoe. If you do not want to miss the carriage, that is.)_ Susanne answered smoothly.

Oh yeah. In my annoyance, I had forgotten what day it was. Today was the day. That one fateful day when we were going to England, to Hogwarts. I sat up quickly and headed past Susanne, who was fretting nervously, to get to my Wardrobe. I stepped in it and shut the dark rosewood door behind me.

The Wardrobe was a gift from my Grand-mère. She had made it for me out of rosewood to match my wand. Only I could get in it. It was charmed to recognize and only accept my wand.

Grand-mère was a very strong veela, and she taught me and my mother to control and use what she called our Charm. The Charm drew others attention, mainly men, and attracted them to us. The Charm lessened as the generations progressed, but Grand-mère said I was almost as strong as Mother. The Charm appeared to me as a sort of silvery glow around my skin that I could dim or brighten. I had to be careful to watch it, because sometimes it did strange things to a mans mind. Grand-mère warned me to watch the men around me, and not to trust them, for the Charm changed people. Gabrielle was still learning to control hers, which was less than mine, but still dangerous.

The Wardrobes magic was completely made to help me. If I became angry or distressed, it became harder to control the Charm. Being in the Wardrobe could help my Charm dim slightly, calming me down enough so I could do it myself. It also held almost all my belongings. The magic in it also allowed it to transfigure itself into a little stone that I wore around my neck when I traveled. Never having to pack ever again was really nice. The little Wardrobe Stone was pretty too. A pretty bluish green sapphire that glittered around my neck on a simple silver chain. I loved wearing it. But wearing it at school was impractical, so I usually left my Wardrobe in my dorm, but today was the day. So I put on my silky blue Beaxbatons robes and stepped out of the Wardrobe.

Gabrielle glanced at me as I exited, all dressed in blue robes as well. "Fleur, please shrink my stuff down?" she asked, gesturing to the large trunk next to her. I nodded, and shrunk it with a flick of my wand. Susanne, flitting around the room searching for any last thing we might need, absently tossed her shrunken luggage at me. Sweet Zoe got up off Terese's bed to hand her and her sisters stuff to me. I took all our things and put them on one of the shelves on the side of the Wardrobe, shutting the large doors and set my hand on the rosewood.

"Tourner dans le charme, armoire de Vélane." I whispered to the Wardrobe. It shimmered, then disappeared in a flash of blue and silver light. I picked the blue stone up off the floor and slid it on the silver chain I kept in my bedside table drawer. Susanne, while rushing past me, grabbed it and clasped it neatly around my neck. I pulled my long silvery blonde hair out of the chain and headed for our bathroom to brush my teeth.

Ten minutes later, we were all ready to go down to breakfast. We were all wearing our blue Beauxbatons robes. Terese pulled her hair back in a ponytail, Susanne had hers in a high bun, mine and Gabrielle's were down and Zoe's short brown hair brushed her shoulders.

We all headed for the Dining Hall, only to discover Madame Maxime waiting patiently in our way beside the front doors.

"Madame, devons-nous partir?" _(Must we leave now?)_ I asked her.

She nodded. "Nous devons quitter pour 'Ogwarts maintenant. cela va nous prendre toute la journée pour y arriver. Et Fleur, je suppose que votre sœur et Zoe veulent venir. J'ai déjà demandé et obtenu permisson de vos parents. Ils pensent ce sera une bonne expérience pour vous."

_(We have to leave for 'Ogwarts now. It will take us all day to get there. And Fleur, I assume your sister and Zoe want to come. I have already asked and gotten permisson from your parents. They think it will be a good experience for you.)_

Madame Maxime was my parents good friend. So every year when my parents and Terese's parents had to leave for England for work, they dropped Gabrielle and Zoe here to stay at Beauxbatons with us and Madame Maxime. It's happened for several years now, and Gabrielle and Zoe are loved by everyone.

Madame Maxime looked at us expectantly, waiting for our opinions. Gabrielle hugged her around the waist, and after a few seconds of hesitation, Zoe joined in. I grinned. "Je pense qu'ils aimeraient ça, Madame." I said. _(I think they would like that, Madame.)_ The girls released her.

She smiled, then headed for the rest of the group going to Hogwarts. "Wait, Madame!" I called in English, hoping to get rid of the eavesdropping kids around us.

She turned back to us. "Yes, Fleur?"

"'Ooo will be teaching us? Ze Hogwarts teachers?" I asked nervously.

She grinned. "Do not worry, cher. Your Ancient Runes will not be dizzrupted. I azzure you zat ze 'Ogwarts teacher is quite capable."

I smiled back, but I was still unsure. Ancient Runes was my passion. It was started by the French, so it was required to be taken by all students at Beauxbatons. My mother was a very powerful Rune Master, so she expected Gabrielle and I to be the same.

"Fleur, you'll be fine." Terese assured me, patting my arm. "Now can we please get going? I hear there's food on the carriage!" she licked her lips and headed for the doors.

Susanne followed at a trot. "When did you find zat out? You were with us ze 'hole time..."

I curtsied neatly. "Zank you, Madame."

She scoffed. "Zere is no need for zat, Fleur."

I smiled. "If you say so, Madame."

She grinned. "I say, Fleur."

"Fleur, are you bringing that muffler?" Gabrielle said, incredulous.

I looked at her sideways. "Yes."

"You won't need it." Terese pointed out.

MAGICAL saut de linge

(That's French for line break, if you're stupid.)

I sat on a soft blue pillowed window bench with my face pressed against the window. I know, how unladylike, but I couldn't help it. Hogwarts was beautiful. The grounds were beautiful. The lake looked like a shining black mirror and the grass looked like glass glittering with frost.

But the inside of the carriage was beautiful as well. The walls were a soft calming shade of blue inside all three rooms. One room was for Madame Maxime, one was the main room, which we were in now, and lastly was where we all sleep. There were twelve of us in all. Me, Gabrielle, Terese, Zoe, Susanne, four guys, three girls, and one girls little brother.

"Adrien , s'il vous plaît , ouvrez les portes et de laisser le carraige des escaliers." _(Adrien, please open the carriage doors and let down the steps.)_ Madame Maxime's rumbling voice started me from my thoughts. I realized we must have landed. Zoe was bouncing up and down excitedly, and while Gabrielle's veela blood would not let her act so foolishly, I could tell she was just as excited. Adrien, Anaïs Baton's little brother had jumped out the door and let down the steps.

"Venir." _(Come.)_ Madame Maxime ordered, sweeping out and down the steps.

I followed quickly. Gabrielle's hand closed tightly on the back of my robes. I soon as I exited the carriage, I no longer felt silly for bringing my muffler.

It was freezing! I'm pretty sure I died. If it was one thing I hated more than anything it was the cold. I wrapped the muffler around my head quickly, making a noise of disgust. Gabrielle chuckled. She didn't mind cold weather at all, and right now, I hated her for that. One thing I hated about cold weather because it made me grumpy, and I knew that it was not going to be a good day.

"My dear Madame Maxime, welcome to Hogwarts." I looked at the man who spoke. He had long blue flowing robes and a long silver hair and beard. His blue eyes twinkled, and I imedeitly felt wary. He was very powerful, I could almost feel it radiating from him. I would definetly watch him. I tuned out what they were saying and focused on the man. I figured out pretty quickly that he was the headmaster of Hogwarts.

"Fleur?" I turned quickly to see a girl in my year with wavy brown hair. This was Bridgette Ariail, a girl in my classes, but she kind of hated me.

I wasn't sure why, but Terese had told me that she was jealous of me. Bridgette had a couple of friends who hated me as well, and one of them had joined her here. I think her name was Bernadette Baudin, and she was flanking Bridgette.

"Oui ..." _(Yes...)_ I asked warily.

Bridgette smiled sweetly, flipping her wavy brown hair over her shoulder. I lowered my muffler stiffly, refusing to wince at the cold. "Eh bien, Fleur ..." _(Well, Fleur...)_ she started. "Vous voulez être dans le Tournoi , pas vous?" _(You want to be in the Tournament, don't you?_)

I nodded. "Oui Bridgette . Si je ne l'ai pas , je ne serais pas ici ." _(Yes Bridgette. If I didn't I would not be here.)_ I said slowly and deliberately.

Her brown eyes flashed with anger but she forced her face into a relaxed smile. I loved that I was bothering her. She leaned in closer to me. "Je serai le champion de Beauxbâtons . Je vais gagner . Et vous ne serez pas." _(I will be the Beauxbatons Champion. I will win. And you will not.) _

She flicked her hair around and stormed away. Okay, so it was a rather stupid threat. But at the same time I felt really possessed to prove myself. But, my day was effectively ruined. Cold and Bridgette didn't bode for a happy Fleur. And by the way Gabrielle was looking at me, I knew that she knew that too.


	4. Hogwarts and Bridgette

"Come," Madame Maxime's voice broke through my icy anger. Terese and Gabrielle headed forward after Madame, followed by Susanne, Zoe and I. The others trailed after, confused by the simple English word but assuming what it meant by our reactions. Bridgette was grinning in a way that reminded me of Gabrielle's cat Addie. I rewrapped my muffler around my head and looked around. We were walking up stone steps to a large castle, bigger than Beauxbatons but much less beautiful. My negativity colored it cold and unwelcoming.

"It looks magnifique." Gabrielle commented in awe. I snorted.

"Don't be that way, Fleur." Terese said mildly.

I rolled my eyes, and in the process noticed a huge ship rising out of the lake, rippling its formerly pristine surface.

"Durmstrang." Susanne said excitedly. "I 'ave never met a student of Durmstrang before! This will be so intéressant!" _(interesting)_

Terese groaned and I rolled my eyes again, then winced. The cold was beginning to give me a headache. Susanne didn't seem to notice our irritation. She was too busy blabbing in rapid fire French about the architecture. When we stepped into the castle I almost made a noise of pleasure. The warm air seemed to melt my icy limbs and bring life back to my fingers and toes.

Madame Maxime lead us into a room across from the front doors. Madame Maxime, on her way towards Dumbledore, who was entering the hall with his students and about six kids wearing furs, told us in French to pick a table. I was never one for animal furs, so I lead the group to the farthest table from the Durmstrang students.

Smart looking kids followed us to it, and I was satisfied with my pick. I settled myself down on the end of the table closest to the front. Gabrielle sat to my right. Zoe sat next to her, Terese sat next to her, and Susanne sat next to Terese.

I studied the hall. It had a beautiful ceiling, that reflected the stars, but the stone walls and floors were not as enchanting as the ceiling. They were as cold and unwelcoming as the outside. I was unimpressed.

"Is zat 'Arry Potter?" Susanne's tone was excited, almost breathless. Her and Terese's fascination with the boy wizard had always been a great source of irritation for me. But, nonetheless, I followed her gaze.

The boy sat in between a redheaded boy and a mousy girl with frizzy brown hair. He had messy black hair and glasses that enlarged and brightened his emerald eyes. They looked to be scrawny fourteen year olds. All three were very unimpressive. But the boy with the startling green eyes had a lightning scar.

"I guess 'e iz." I commented, deciding to keep a look out for Madame Maxime to enter.

Terese grinned excitedly. "Do you think we could talk to 'im?"

I rolled my eyes, worsening my headache. "No Terese, I assume 'e iz deaf."

Susanne looked devastated for a second, then noticed Terese glaring at me.

"Stop being negative Fleur, its warmer in here." she snapped.

I tightened my grip on my muffler, then sprang gracefully to my feet as Madame Maxime entered the hall. The others followed my lead. Sniggers echoed through the hall. Not one of us cared. We reseated ourselves as Dumbledore stood up.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and- most particularly- guests. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable."

At this I couldn't help but laugh derisively. Glares from the Hogwarts students scorched me and Gabrielle slapped my arm.

"Fleur!" she hissed.

"The Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast. I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

Food appeared on all the dishes almost immediately. I noticed some of the dishes were French, while some, judging by the way students around me were looking at them, were probably Bulgarian. Susanne snatched the Bouillabaisse and started to dish it onto her plate. I decided to wait for it to make its way down to me. I was just folding my hands neatly in my lap when a sharp voice snapped at me.

"Why did you laugh?"

I looked up. Across from me sat a pretty girl with long black hair and steely brown eyes. She appeared to be Asian.

"Excuse me?" I asked, equally sharp, pulling my muffler away from my head so my long silvery hair cascaded down my back.

"When Professor Dumbledore said to have an enjoyable stay, why did you laugh?" she asked nastily.

Gabrielle stepped in before I could answer. "She does not like ze cold. It makes her... Irritable." she spoke deliberately, slowly and carefully, doing her best with her limited English.

But the girl didn't like that. "Do you think I don't speak English well?" she snapped.

Gabrielle's eyes widened. "Non, non!" she gasped, her fear making her lose her head. "I... Do not speak Anglais.."

I jumped in stiffly. "Gabrielle does not speak English well. She meant no offense."

The girls eyes softened. "Do you speak it?"

I nodded. "Well enough."

The girl smiled. "Well then, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come at you like that. I don't even know you, and I can understand having a bad day. Can you forgive me so we can start off on the right foot?" she offered a slim hand, callused and worn from a sport, if I had to guess. Her eyes glittered hopefully.

I hesitated. But then again, having an ally in the sea of foreign students would be nice, and potentially useful. I met her hand. We shook. She grinned.

"I'm Cho Chang."

I smiled back. "Fleur Delacour."

"Fleur..." she mused, rolling my name around on her tongue.

"Cho." I shot back. Her smile widened. "Zese are my friends." I said, gesturing to my right. "Gabrielle, my little sister,"

Gabrielle smiled weakly.

"Her friend Zoe."

Zoe grinned.

"Zoe's sister Terese."

Terese waved, her mouth full of Bouillabaisse.

"And Susanne."

Susanne inclined her head politely, waves of blonde curls falling out of her bun, which was now loose and messy.

Cho smiled at them. "Hello."

"Pleasure." Susanne said, smiling brightly.

"Yes, we couldn't be happier." Terese said sarcastically.

Cho laughed, then put her arm on the shoulders of the girl next to her, who was mildly pretty. "This is Marietta Edgecomb."

"Hello Marietta." we chorused. Marietta smiled shyly as Gabrielle handed me the Bouillabaisse. I looked in the bowl.

"Zere is nothing left." I said, looking up at the four girls next to me, enjoying the shellfish.

"Oh, zere is not?" Susanne said innocently.

"No, there isn't." Terese commented, not looking up from her extra large helping.

I glared. "Well what am I to do?"

"Get more?" suggested Cho.

I frowned. "From where?"

"Another table." Marietta said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I stood up. I checked my charm quickly as I headed across the hall. My skin glowed softly, but not overbearingly. It shouldn't blow any minds. So I stopped at the nearest table.

"Excuse me, are you wanting ze Bouillabaisse?"

The red headed kid turned an interesting color. I checked my Charm, but it was still rather normal. Hmm. Some people were just weak minded. As I thought that, the kid made a strange gurgling noise. I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Yeah, have it," said Harry Potter, totally unaffected. I made a mental note of his strong mind.

"You 'ave finished wiz it?" I checked.

"Yeah, yeah, it was excellent." said redhead, almost in awe. I picked up the dish and headed back, noticing that the dish hadn't been touched.

Later when the feast was over, the food scraps disappeared from the plates. The room filled with excitement and Terese grinned expectantly at Madame Maxime. Zoe was bouncing on the bench in excitement, while Gabrielle clutched my sleeve.

"The moment has come," Dumbledore began.

"Excitant!" Gabrielle said, causing Cho to look at her in confusion.

"It's pronounced, ex-cite-ing-"

"That was French." I explained.

"SHH!" snapped a girl down the table.

I turned my nose up at her. Cho hissed some english words that I didn't fully understand, but made Terese and Zoe chuckle. While I hated not being in on something, I let it go. It was a very important night.

"The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket-"

"What?" Susanne gasped.

"Cho." I said, noticing two men had joined the teachers. The stern looking one seemed familiar... "Who are they?"

Cho looked up at the staff table. "Oh, they are Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch. They work with the Ministry, our government. I have no idea why they are here. They work with my mom." Cho frowned, studying the people up front.

"Shut up!" snapped the same girl who yelled earlier.

Cho spun to face her. "Do you have a problem, Penelope?" she said sharply and quietly.

"Yes, I do." The girl replied. "And it's name is Cho. Now be quiet!"

Cho sneered at her and turned back to the front, huffing angrily. I chuckled, then turned my attention back to the front.

"-Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

I clapped politely, but not many others clapped with me. That's where I had seen him. He had traveled to Beauxbatons to speak to us and Madame Maxime about the Tournament.

"and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

There was a very loud round of applause for him. I frowned. So he was more popular? I added him to my growing mental list of people to ask my parents about.

"Mr. Bagman and Mr. Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts."

My interest peaked. I immediately began studying the judges. Karkaroff I could already see would favor his student, a problem I could not fix. But, I also assumed he would be more partial to me than the Hogwarts champion. That would work in my favor. Of course, Madame would most certainly favor me, if I was chosen, so Karkaroff would be canceled out.

Dumbledore would play fair, that was quite clear. I had no doubt in my mind he would judge me as I was to be judged. Madame would judge just as fair, so I respected Dumbledore for that.

Crouch seemed so perfect I figured he would judge so strictly I couldn't even give him another thought.

Bagman, from what I could see, looked like a child. Too excited, too bouncy, and therefore, I associated his judging with how a child might judge. On how flashy it was, and who he thought would win. He seemed easily bribed, and easy won over. I tucked him in the back of my mind.

"The casket, then, if you please, Mr. Filch."

A gross, dirty, and sour little man who never would have been allowed to set foot in Beauxbatons carried in a wooden chest covered in jewels. I narrowed my eyes. Yep, real. Now I was interested in what was in the casket.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman," said Dumbledore. I watched the disgusting caretaker place the chest on a table in front of Dumbledore. "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess- their daring- their powers of deduction- and, of course, their ability to cope with danger. As you know, three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup."

I grinned. I wanted to be that winner.

"The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore tapped the casket three times with his wand and the lid opened. Dumbledore pulled out a large cup that looked like it was carved by an ameture. Wood carving was a very important part of my fathers life, and it was something that he'd taught me. It had been my thing with him. I could have made that cup look like it was made of metal. But, I couldn't focus on all the flaws in the workmanship, I had to listen to Dumbledore to win this tournament.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions will have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete. To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation…"

Urgh, whatever. I didn't have to listen to that. Some younger students who wanted to steal glory rightfully mine was none of my concern, especially if they would never succeed in getting in, which they would not.

When Dumbledore finished talking, we all rose.

"I'll show you guys out." Cho offered. Cho lead us past the people all bunched up in front of the door. Then she stopped in front of the door and smiled at us. "Well guys, I hope we talk again soon."

Susanne smiled. "Merci, for 'elping us. We 'ope to see you later."

Cho grinned. "You're welcome, I guess."

Madame Maxime swooped in and lead all of us back to the carriage. We headed for bed and I pulled my _chemise de nuit _over my head and climbed into my bunk.

"Fleur?" Gabrielle asked, her blue eyes peering over the edge of her bunk above me.

"Yes?" I asked, watching her.

"Do you theenk you will get in?"

I smiled softly. "I do 'ope so, Gabrielle."

**Thanks for reading guys, sorry for the delay. **

**Reveiwer Responses: **

**MagentaQuinn: Thank you, and I very much agree!**

**Bia92: Thank you! I'm very excited to write that part! **


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